The Egyptian and British navies have concluded a multi-day joint maritime training exercise named “Alexandria Defenders,” conducted at the Alexandria Naval Base within the operational zone of Egypt’s Northern Fleet, RT Arabic reported.
The drill featured personnel from the Egyptian Naval Special Forces and British Special Operations Forces. It was organized under the framework of the joint military cooperation plan between the Egyptian and British Armed Forces, aiming to maximize bilateral capabilities and facilitate the exchange of field expertise.
According to the Egyptian Military Spokesperson, the training phases encompassed numerous maritime activities. These included Visit, Board, Search, and Seizure (VBSS) operations on suspect vessels, Close Quarters Combat (CQC), hostage rescue operations, battlefield first aid, and combat medical evacuations (MEDEVAC).
High professionalism and live-fire drills
The maneuvers also featured tactical live-fire shooting drills. The spokesperson noted that the exercises demonstrated a high level of readiness and professionalism among the participating elements from both sides in executing their assigned missions.
The “Alexandria Defenders” exercise comes as part of a growing series of joint drills between Egypt and the United Kingdom, which have witnessed significant development in recent years.
These exercises reflect the depth of the strategic partnership between the two nations in the military and security sectors, particularly in light of prevailing security challenges in the Eastern Mediterranean and Red Sea regions.
Furthermore, they underscore Egypt’s commitment to diversifying its international military partners; Cairo regularly conducts joint drills with various nations—including the United States, France, Greece, Cyprus, and Saudi Arabia—to enhance operational capabilities and exchange expertise across diverse maritime and security scenarios.
